The United States publishes two employment numbers: one based on a survey of employers ("the payroll survey") and one based on a survey of households. The household survey gets more ink, but its proven itself unreliable.

There had been some discussion about whether bubbles in the US and European markets were caused by a global savings glut in Asia. Stefan Karlsson says no, citing the economic woes in Japan as compared to market health in Australia.

The British pound's appreciation relative to a struggling euro means that inflation in the country is finally starting to decrease. Some economists are taking this as a sign the UK market may be turning a corner, as it signals an increase in consumer purchasing power.

Ireland released its latest economic reports last week, and there's good news and bad news. On the one hand, Ireland's economy is no longer contracting; on the other, it isn't recovering at the same speed as some of its northern European neighbors.

Paul Krugman of the 1970s argued that devaluations are usually contractionary. Ironically, this conclusion puts him at odds with Paul Krugman of the last 20 years, who thinks devaluations are the one true key to prosperity.

In European countries where multiple languages are spoken, regions dominated by Germanic language speakers often have lower unemployment rates than non-Germanic areas. This pattern is not seen in similarly multilingual Canada, however.

According to first quarter numbers, there are several percentage points that separate the unemployment rates of northern and southern Spain. The gap between the regions is almost as large in percentage as the gap between Spain and Austria.

It is well documented that there are big differences in unemployment within the European Union. What is perhaps less well known, however, is that dramatic differences in unemployment exist within many euro countries as well.

In about 20 to 25 years or so the newest generation of young adults will become part of the labor force. As Germans born in the 1950s and 1960s retire in the coming decades, Germany will get a much smaller labor force than its neighbors.

Iceland has been used by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman as a poster child for economic recovery. But Stefan Karlsson again argues--this time with help from the Council on Foreign Relations--that Baltic countries may have better overall numbers.

As the UEFA Euro 2012 draws to a close, we wonder: Is there a negative correlation between a country's economic health and its success in soccer? Spain and Italy met in the UEFA Euro 2012 final last night, just as both nations are dealing with monetary struggles.